I could start this post by lamenting all the times I’ve missed seeing My Morning Jacket (fell asleep halfway through Friday at my first Bonnaroo; had to turn down a free ticket to their last Thanksgiving show; chose Marr-dest Mouse over them at Lollapalooza; had to fly out early from Austin City Limits last year — all bad ideas or huge mistakes). Instead, I think I’ll just jump right in and get to the money shot:

My Morning Jacket’s Friday night midnight set at Bonnaroo was one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. It was three hours of beyond perfect versions of some of the best songs of my generation.

MP3: My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

The set started off with My Morning Jacket’s new classic “Evil Urges.” The spacey, cosmic trip out of the intro provided a great launching pad for one of the best sets I’m likely to ever see. The song was new enough to where the band seemed far from burned out on playing it, but has been ubiquitous enough to where the audience still knew the words. From there they hit a string of my favorite songs, including “What a Wonderful Man,” probably my favorite Jacket song. Unfortunately it was only a few songs later that the rain hit a near-torrential level, prompting me to go back to the press trailer for about half an hour and edit/upload my photos to Pitchfork.

After a lightning fast uploading session, I was back out in the pouring rain for more of Kentucky’s finest. No, not Maker’s Mark, but about equally delicious. A nice Bonnaroo official used their badge to get me off to the front side of the stage to watch the last half of MMJ’s set. Unfortunately I missed the Kirk Hammett appearance for “One Big Holiday,” but I did get back in time to catch Jim throw a cape over his back (see below photo) and do a FANTASTIC cover of James Brown’s “Cold Sweat.” Add that to covers of Sly and the Family Stone, The Velvet Underground, Bobby Womack, Kool and the Gang, Funkadelic and Erykah Badu and you’ve taken a great set and turned it into a perfect one.

MP3: My Morning Jacket - Northern Sky (Nick Drake)

After what was undoubtedly the best light show at the festival, I decided that I was so waterlogged that I should head back home. It turned out that this was during the last song of MMJ’s set. They closed with a cover of Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home” that provided a great soundtrack for my freezing cold walk back to my tent.

MP3: My Morning Jacket - Time of the Season (The Zombies)

So after all that, what else can I say? My Morning Jacket might be America’s best all-around live band right now. Their songs are classics by which our time will hopefully be remembered, their performance is spirited and their musicianship is unquestioned. Thanks for making me proud to be from Kentucky, My Morning Jacket.

Lots more photos and full setlist below…

My Morning Jacket 2008 Bonnaroo Setlist
01 “Evil Urges”
02 “Off The Record”
03 “Gideon”
04 “Hot Fun In The Summertime” (Sly & the Family Stone) *
05 “Highly Suspicious”
06 “What A Wonderful Man”
07 “I’m Amazed”
08 “Thank You Too”
09 “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 1″
10 “Sec Walkin”
11 “Golden”
12 “Two Halves”
13 “Lay Low”
14 “Hit It and Quit It” (Funkadelic)
15 “Tyrone” (Erykah Badu)
16 “Steam Engine” –>drum solo
17 “Anytime”
18 “Aluminum Park”
19 “Easy Morning Rebel” *
20 “Dancefloors” *
21 “One Big Holiday” (w/ Kirk Hammett)

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22 “Cold Sweat” (James Brown) *
23 “Get Down On It” (Kool & the Gang) *
24 “Across 110th Street” (Bobby Womack) *
25 “Wordless Chorus”
26 “Phone Went West”
27 “Mahgeetah”
28 “Oh Sweet Nuthin” (The Velvet Underground)
29 “Librarian”
30 “Bermuda Highway” (Jim James solo)
31 “Dondante”
32 “Run Thru”
33 “Smokin From Shootin”
34 “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream Pt. 2″
35 “Home Sweet Home (Feat. Zach Galifianaks as Little Orphan Annie) (Mötley Crüe)
* w/Jeff Coffin on saxophone and the Nashville/Louisville Horns